


No Strings Attached - 2Jae Version

by TheNarratress



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Low Fantasy, M/M, Red String of Fate, Romance, Soulmates, Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-08-24 10:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16637951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNarratress/pseuds/TheNarratress
Summary: JaeBeom knew that it wasn't a good idea to meddle with soulmate strings. He knew it would have massive consequences. However, when Jackson asks him to connect his string with Marks he agrees.He expected everything to happen. Everything but to wake up the next morning and find a string attached to his own previously stringless finger.orThe story where JaeBeom finally get's a soulmate





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DreamHighx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamHighx/gifts).



> Hi everyone~
> 
> Narra here. So this is a very special story I’ve been planning on writing for a year now. It’s a gift for my little baby sister, Mona . It’s her birthday today.  
> Aues aues gueti zum geburi. Hoffe du hesch e super Tag u chasch ne chli gniese ^___^
> 
> This story will have two versions. One version will be 2Jae (because that’s my sisters favourite ship) and one version will be JJP (because that’s my OTP and I somehow had to do a JJP version too). All but the first chapter will have some major differences in them (means I do not only replace the name there will be different scenes per version). This is the 2Jae Version.
> 
> The story itself will have 4 chapters. The next chapter should go online on Saturday.
> 
> EDIT from the 18th of November: The new chapter will be online on the 24th of November as I'm not very happy with the beginning of it. I'm sorry for needing more time.
> 
> Have fun reading~
> 
> Have a nice day and stay safe~
> 
> Narra

_"According to the police department a meddling from outside sources can't be excluded. The victim has been a long and good friend to a famous string medium. The medium is currently in custody to investigate if the medium was involved in this tragedy or not._

_This case shows, once again, how important it is to create regulations for mediums to ensure issues like this can’t happen again in the future. The senate is currently discussing a possible law that prevents mediums to intervene in the lives of others. However, as it's still unclear how the meddling is done by the mediums, critics fear that a law itself won't find much ground to act on future illegal meddlings. Nevertheless, they agree that some kind of controlling system should be put into place._

_Mediums are extremely rare. It is believed that they only consist of 0.0001% of our countries population. We kindly urge you to contact your nearest police station should you notice..."_

JaeBeom turned the TV off and stared blankly at the dark square in front of him. A sigh escaped his lips while he closed his eyes tiredly. With a soft 'thump' he let himself fall back on his sofa. His thoughts were running wild in his head. This was not the first time that this had happened lately... Since one of Korea’s most famous actors of the current generation committed suicide, everyone kept on looking for someone else to blame for it. Not long, however, and people found out about his messed up relationships with various men and women and the connection to someone who's supposed to be able to meddle with peoples soulmate strings. And this was what the media kept on focusing on ever since.

Most people barely knew anything about the old practice of soulmate string meddling. However, everyone knew that the strings should not be messed with in the first place as it can lead to confusion, heartache and loneliness. JaeBeom, of all people knew about this all too well. Especially since he is one of those people with that rare ability.

That the young Korean man was a medium was a well kept secret that only a handful of people knew about. He had only told the ones he trusted to keep quiet about it. Three people in total knew of it and so far they’ve all kept their mouths shut. This hopefully will be the case in the future as well.

JaeBeom opened his eyes again. Everything looked like it has always been. The soft fragrant of flowers lay in the air. A scent that came from a freshly picked bouquet on his dinner room table. The small living room lay in deep darkness. Only the lights from outside brightened the room a tiny bit.

The young Korean turned his head slightly to the left. The corner he was staring at lay in complete darkness. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes on that corner. He slightly shifted his sight and suddenly a bright red string was glimmering through the darkness in that corner.  
That string had been there since JaeBeom moved into this flat a few weeks ago. Over that short time he got to know that this particular string belonged to his next door neighbour. A married man with two kids... who's string is attached to someone else. Someone outside of this building.

JaeBeom has never dared to touch it as he knew how delicate those thin strings can be. Luckily, he was able to blend them out of his view most of the time. By blending the strings out he also avoids the risk of tearing strings apart or accidental meddling with them. He's only able to do something with the strings when he truly sees them. It's like a Natural safety mechanism. Or the nature playing hide and seek like a three year old. Not that JaeBeom would ever complain about that.  
Shifting his eyesight back to the one normal people have usually made him feel more at ease, as he didn't have to worry too much about messing things up. He rarely changes his sight, however, sometimes it's nice to do so and just... look at them. Seeing them shine in the dark was one of the most beautiful sights he’s been allowed to witness so far. It was like seeing strings of red diamonds glitter in the darkness and that all around him. The mere sight, however, made him feel anxious despite him being awestruck by thim time and time again. It was incredible that this small little thing had such a huge impact on other people's lives. It made him also happy to know that most people out there were destined for someone. Most people call it soulmates or faith or even destiny.  
Unfortunately, it's very rare that those people ever find a way to each other. JaeBeom himself had only seen one couple in this short life time that was truly meant for each other.

In ancient times mediums were actually used to find someone's destined soulmates. However, as with most things people don't see or understand they soon lost their faith in the old methods and practices. They called the mediums crazy or even worse, scammers. Some might have been all that. Some might have pretended to be mediums or led people to any random stranger and claimed them to be soulmates just to get a coin or two. However, not all of them were like this.

JaeBeom bit his lips and stared at his own hands. Most people are connected by a string that loosely clings on each others ring fingers. Everyone's connected. Only he isn’t.  
JaeBeom wasn't sure if the reason for this might have been because he was able to see the strings. However, he rarely saw normal people without strings too. People without soulmates. People like him. Well... not exactly like him but also destined to be alone. Forever

Longingly, he reached out his hand as if he wanted to touch the string. A soft warmth was radiating from it. It felt blissful, joyous even, and JaeBeom wanted to do nothing more than to touch the string. However, he kept his hands in a safe distance from it. A simple intentional touch could change his neighbours life forever. That's what he's been told when he talked with his parents about his gift when he was very very young. He wasn't sure if it was true but he wasn't that keen to find out about it either. Especially after the most recent events.

Another sigh left his lips. He just wanted to turn towards his bedroom to get a good portion of well deserved sleep, when he hear the high pitched tones of his door look. Five keys were pressed before a melody told the person on the other side that the combination was wrong. Again a set of numbers were entered. Those numbers, however, must have been wrong too as the same melody from before emerged from the small device on the door.

JaeBeom had instantly stopped in his movement when he heard the first tone. He stared at the door for a few seconds until he gathered up all his courage to stand right in front of it to peak through the peephole. Even while he was doing that, entered the person on the other side their third code into the device but still was not successful to get it unlocked. A soft smile formed on JaeBeom's face when he finally recognised the person on the other side. He instantly opened his door.

The well lit corridor made bright light stream into JaeBeom’s dark flat. The brightness of it momentarily blinded JaeBeom but soon his eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to see the two people in front of him without having to squeeze his eyes close.

"Your password isn't my birthday! Why isn't it my birthday? It has to be my birthday! I'm your best friend. Your BFF. Your homie. Your buddy," Jackson instantly started to complain and went on and on and on about this matter before JaeBeom even had the chance to say 'Hi'. Jackson has always been the most talkative one in their small group of friends. He was fun and energetic... which was also the reason why JaeBeom hasn’t revealed his password to his friend as he needed at least one calm place where he could come back to without having to fear sudden unannounced visits from Jackson or any of his friends. Today, the younger seemed a bit more... him than usual and JaeBeom instinctively knew that something must have happened. He braced himself for the worst to come.

Behind the slightly short but muscular man stood a taller man. JaeBeom has only seen this man a couple of times before but he recognised the elder instantly. It was Mark. Jackson’s boyfriend.  
When Jackson noticed JaeBeom's eyes on the elder he quietly pushed Mark to the front. Mark smiled and lowered his head to great JaeBeom. It was an awkward move. It didn’t make it better that it slightly resembled a bow as well.

Jackson, who had watched the awkward interaction, quietly shook his head at that but tried to hide his annoyance with the elder by looking JaeBeom in the eyes and giving the other the brightest smile he could offer.

"Can we come in?" the younger asked while already pushing passed JaeBeom to get into the cosy flat. Jackson rushed to the light switches and illuminated the open living room. The younger's feet basically flew over the recently polished floor and headed towards the sofa without hesitation. Once he reached the castle of pillows and comfort, he let himself fall into the soft cushions.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your sofa?" the younger asked which made JaeBeom rise his eyebrows while closing the door behind Mark, who quietly snuck passed JaeBeom as well and hastily joined Jackson on the sofa. Both of them definitely acted weird today.

Mark snuggled a bit deeper into the cushions while also pulling Jackson closer to himself. A few more remarks are made about JaeBeom's sofa until the young Korean decided that it's been enough small talk for the night and that his friends needed to finally start spilling the beans.

With crossed arms he leaned on a nearby wall and stared at his friend with a stern expression on his face. This instantly made Mark feel uncomfortable, which lead to him becoming even quieter than before. Jackson on the other hand didn't seem to care the slightest bit. Nevertheless, he fell quiet once he heard JaeBeom speak to them.  
"Have you been kicked out?" JaeBeom asked as this was the only logical explanation he could find for the strange behaviour of his friends and their late appearance in his flat.

Jackson stayed quiet for a while before he finally grabbed Mark's hand. Softly he patted the elder's knuckles before he completely covered the elders hand with his. A gentle smile appeared on his face. As if he was looking for reassurance, Jackson looked at Mark with soft and gentle eyes.  
When the elder finally hesitantly nodded sat Jackson upright again to face JaeBeom. Both of his friends held tightly on to each other as if they were fearing to be torn apart in any upcoming moment.

"I proposed today," Jackson finally blurted out.  
Surprised by this news, JaeBeom blinked quickly and unfolded his arms.  
"That's great news," JaeBeom said in a perplex tone of voice. This definitely was very surprising for him as neither of them had ever showed clear signs that they wanted to walk down that road. Of course he knew that they were a couple but they haven't been a couple for that long either.

"Wait! Mark said yes, right? I mean..."  
Mark nodded and smiled brightly. This was all JaeBeom needed to hear resp. see. He smiled happily and congratulated the couple. However, when he wanted to step closer, Jackson made him stop in his tracks with a simple hand movement.

"We," Jackson began but then stopped again shortly after. He squeezed Mark's hand quickly before he looked up at JaeBeom. He cleared his throat and continued: "We... well you can see it right?"  
JaeBeom looked at his friend in confusion. What was the younger referring too? When Jackson noticed the elders confusion he began to explain. He spoke with hesitation. Nevertheless, he sounded sure of his claim.

"You know... if people are destined to be together or not. You can see it right?"  
JaeBeom's face fell. Jackson knew the answer to his own question, as he is one of the very few people he had entrusted his secret too. However, for some reason Jackson needed to hear it again.

"I think you know the answer to that... Why the sudden interest?"  
Jackson exchanged another look with Mark. This time, however, it was the elder who reassuringly tightened his grip on the others hand. It was also the first time that night, where Mark lifted his head to stare at JaeBeom.

"JaeBeom-ah," the elder started, " can you... can you check for us? We really would like to know..."  
"No!" JaeBeom firmly said, already knowing what his friend wanted to say. He took a deep breath and spoke again: "This can destroy everything. Believe me. It's better for you if you don't know about it"  
"But... if we aren't... that would be… you could fix that, right? You could, couldn't you?"  
"No!" JaeBeom once again firmly said to answer Mark’s question while taking a step backwards. They can't really be asking this of him. Not after the recent events and the rumours that go around. He himself isn't all to sure what would happen when he would decide to meddle. However, he could imagine that it would lead to unhappiness... if not even worse things.

Jackson stood up, quickly rounded the couch table and stood directly in front of JaeBeom. The eyes of the younger expressed certainty and determination. The younger was very sure of what he was asking for and he gave of the impression that nothing will be able to change his mind about it any time soon.

"I can't..." JaeBeom said and averted his eyes from his friend.  
"This is important for me, Hyung. I really want this to work out and knowing... I think it will put all our minds at ease. I know that I'm asking a lot of you... especially right now but... I'm going to get married soon. I want to be sure that it'll work," Jackson said while taking another few steps closer to JaeBeom.  
"There is no guarantee for that even if I would meddle and you know that"  
“No, there isn't a guarantee," Jackson agreed. He paused for a short moment and gave JaeBeom a soft smile before he continued, "But it would help. If Mark isn't my soulmate... I don't think I could go on. It needs to be him. If we really aren't soulmates right now, you could change that. Not sure how but I know you could. Just... please"

JaeBeom sighed.  
"I don't like this, Jackson-ah," he said once again and shook his head.  
Jackson smiled a knowing smile and softly laid his hand on his friends shoulder. The warm touch made JaeBeom shiver slightly. However, he stayed where he was and looked his friend directly in the eyes.

"There is no guarantee that this ends well," JaeBeom repeated to which Jackson only nodded to show the other that he understands that. The younger's face was stern but hearing JaeBeom say that, hearing that there was still a chance to persuade the other, made him loosen up his muscles.  
"I know," the younger finally said.  
"Even if I would meddle..." JaeBeom started again but hesitated to continue. This was a field he definitely wasn't experienced in. Quickly he cleared his throat and continued: "I'm not sure what will happen. I've never did that before and hearing all that stuff about it in the news..."  
"I'm sure it's going to be alright. It's you after all. If one can do this well, it's you," Mark suddenly said, which made the other two spin around. The sudden attention, however, wasn't something Mark was used to or liked for that matter of facts. A soft red colour spread on his cheeks that proved that.

Jackson smiled fondly, took a few steps backwards until he was facing the other and then cupped the others face in an affective manner. This action, however, made Mark blush even harder.  
Longingly, Jackson pulled Mark closer to himself and laid his arms around the other. They exchange a loving gaze.

The young Korean has slightly turned his head away from the couple to avoid staring at them. Seeing this much skinship was very weird for him. Most of his friends avoided showing too much affection in public. This, however, was different. JaeBeom wasn't sure if this was maybe something people showcase more outside of Korea, considering that both of his friends were brought up abroad. Nevertheless, witnessing this much skinship made the young Korean feel uncomfortable and as if he's intruding or witnessing something that wasn't meant for his eyes.

When he looked back at the couple they were both staring at him. An unspoken plea was written in their eyes. JaeBeom sighed loudly when he noticed that.  
"I don't like this," JaeBeom said and leaned himself against the wall behind him. His arms were instantly crossed in front of his chest to empathise on that even more.

"We know," Jackson said while tightening his hold around Mark's hand further.  
The way both of them stood there in front of him made his chest feel heavy. Another sigh left his throat and he averted his eyes.

"I can't guarantee..." JaeBeom started but a soft 'We know' stopped him from continuing. Quickly, he lifted his eyes to look at his friends. His friends, who were looking at him with those hopeful and loving eyes. Hesitantly, he shifted his view so he could see their strings. His heart clenched when he noticed that Jacksons string was leading far away from Mark.

The red string vibrated of energy and shone brightly in the room. The thread was slightly tightened as well. All signs that told JaeBeom, that Jackson's true soulmate must be close by.  
When the young Korean let his eyes wander towards Mark, he unintentionally held his breath.

There was no string attached on his ring finger. This was absolutely uncommon.

With curious eyes followed his friends JaeBeom's eyes. His facial expression must have told them more than enough as they started to hold each other closer than before. They knew that they weren't soulmates. Weren’t meant for each other.

It was Mark, who managed to speak first after they realised what JaeBeom must have seen: "You can fix this, right? In the news they said that people like you..."  
"I've never done it... and especially after hearing about it in the news.... We really shouldn't... This could end badly!" JaeBeom tried once again, but just one look at the couple told him that they won't be backing down any time soon. Not after knowing that they weren’t connected by a red string.

And this was the moment JaeBeom finally gave in.

Even though, JaeBeom's instincts instantly went rigid once he took one step closer to his friends, he continued walking. One step after the other he moved closer and closer to his friends. Soft smiles snuck on their faces when they realised what's going to happen.

When JaeBeom stood right in front of Jackson he lifted his head to look the younger in the eyes. An unspoken question lay in JaeBeom's eyes. Jackson, however, seemed to understand it anyway.  
"Please, Hyung. Please," the younger begged to which JaeBeom turned his eyes towards the string.

The string was suddenly violently wavering like a sheet in the wind. It had been looking very calm only a few seconds ago. It’s behaviour must have changed once JaeBeom had moved closer to it with the intention to meddle. It was as if the string itself was fearing for its own life. In an attempt to save itself it began to quickly move back and forth which made catching it quite a challenge.

For the first time in JaeBeom's short life he reached out for one of the strings that filled his world. He didn't know what he should do or how he should connect his friends. However, he hopped that he at least would be able to touch it and find a good solution that would make his friends happy. Maybe he could just tear it in two and connect one end to Mark by simply tying it. Would that work? Wouldn't that be too easy though?

Hesitantly, he reached out. The string whipped against JaeBeom's hand. The hard hit on the back of his hand made JaeBeom pull his arm back out of instinct. One last time he looked at the couple, who were following his every move with huge interest. A soft nod from Jackson made the Korean stretch out his hand again. The string flared angrily but this time JaeBeom knew what it'll do. So, when the string whipped out in his direction he quickly caught it.

The warmth of the aura of the string streamed through JaeBeom's body. The string itself, however, was surprisingly cold and hard to the touch. It was still angrily twisting itself around in his hand but JaeBeom didn't let it go.

Quickly he lifted his other hand to hold on to the string even further. Once his hands were securely wrapped around it, he wondered how he should continue. Should he just tear it in two or should he look for another way?  
In the end JaeBeom decided to give tearing it apart a try. As the string had such a hard touch to it he expected it to not work out anyway. To his utter surprise the opposite was the case. It was as if the string was suddenly cooperating with him and it let itself tear into two pieces almost too easily.

A wave of heat met JaeBeom's skin before the air around him turned cold. The string itself lost it's bright red glow in a very fast pace. It still shimmered lightly but that was nothing compared to the beautiful red it had before.

He held one end of each string in his hands. Both ends seemed to have lost their previous energy as they limply stayed where they were. Quickly he moved towards Mark and tied the string connected to Jackson on his ring finger.  
The ribbon he had made didn't look as beautiful as the one on Jackson's hand but it will do. Once the string between them was connected, it came back to life. The colour was brighter but not nearly as bright and beautiful as it had been before.

The unconnected string still hung limp on JaeBeom's site. He knew he should let go of it... but somehow it felt wrong to do so. Thoughtfully, he stared at the limb string before he lifted his gaze again. Both of his friends stared at him in expectation.

"It's... it's done. How..."  
"What about Mark's soulmate! Isn't he still connected to that person?", Jackson quickly interrupted which made JaeBeom realise that both of them still didn't know that Mark previously had no string attached to him. JaeBeom opened his mouth to explain but one quick look at Mark kept him quiet.  
This sweet man that means the world to his best friend would be hurt to know that nature wanted him to be alone. Alone like JaeBeom.  
He didn't want the other to feel hurt. Which is why he decided to play pretend.

Hastily, he moved next to Mark and pretended to tear his string in two as well. While doing that JaeBeom made sure the limb string was securely held in his hand. However, when he pretended to tie both ends together he lost his grip on it, which caused the dimly red shining string to slowly slid away and disappear from his sight. It was a truly sad thing to witness which made JaeBeom quickly bit his bottom lip.

"So... We're soulmate's now, right? I mean I feel it... The change. It's warm" Jackson asked unsure on how he should react. JaeBeom nodded shortly to which the couple circled their arms around each other. A silly but happy smile spread on their faces before they finally leaned forward to share a longing kiss.

Once again JaeBeom felt out of place. He averted his gaze and cleared his throat to make the others  notice him. Instantly, his friends turned their heads towards him. Soft smiles caressed their faces while holding each other close.

"Thank you so much, Hyung," Jackson said while adoringly squeezing Marks shoulder. JaeBeom simply nodded to answer. He wasn't really sure what to say and how to react. He was happy for his friends... but a small voice in the back of his head kept on nagging him. It told him that what he just had done wasn't right and it kept on reminding him of the possible consequences they might have to face. It was the thought of the limb disconnected string, however, that truly occupied his mind. Nevertheless, he showcased a happy smile. A gesture that was more than well received by his friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only a few minutes later and JaeBeom was all alone in his flat again. He just had closed the door behind his friends, when he let out a long sigh. He felt exhausted. The meddling had only taken a few minutes and still, JaeBeom felt as if he had been running around for hours.

With heavy steps he crossed the room to turn off the lights. When he finally reached the light switch he let his eyes wander to the place the almost dead looking string had disappeared from. One last time he shifted his sight but no matter how long he stared at the clean wooden floor, the string would not reappear.

"I'm sorry, whoever you are. I hope.... you'll be well... and happy," JaeBeom finally mumbled sadly, while averting his eyes. He slowly turned around to switch the light off. The flat was once again laying in complete darkness.

Tiredly, he then tugged himself in. Sleep quickly took a hold of him. His body began to relax and forget the previous events. His mind, however, wasn't able to forget and it won't let him forget either as his dreams that night were all about hopes, warmth, love and strings. Red strings that violently split apart and made all those beautiful feelings from before disappear. A soft and warm tug on him was all that's been left before everything turned red.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone~
> 
> I'm sorry it's been so long. I kinda planed this chapter to turn out differently and I constantly edited it.  
> I have to say I'm still not 100% happy with it. I promise the next chapter will be a really good one. I'll start writing on it next week ^____^
> 
> Have fun reading.  
> I hope to hear from you~
> 
> Have a nice day and stay safe~
> 
> Narra

The annoying sound of JaeBeom's alarm clock pulled him out of his dream land that was filled with warmth and red. There had been so much red. JaeBeom wasn't able to recall what he'd exactly had been dreaming about but to this day he remembers the warmth, the red as well as the soft tug on him.

JaeBeom, who cosily had wrapped himself into a cocoon of warmth, groaned when he had to untangle his left hand and then tap his hand on the cold night stand next to him to shut the oh so annoying sound off. It took him a few seconds until he finally grasped the cold screen of his mobile phone. Without even spearing a glance at the phone screen he slid his finger from left to the right. Instantly the room fell silent again which made the young Korean release a sigh of relief.

The cold air was mercilessly caressing his skin which made JaeBeom shiver. To not feel this uncomfortable cold anymore he pushed his arm back into his cocoon. Knowing that his phone would go off again in around fifteen minutes he was more than happy to relax again for that short period of time. However a strange feeling on his hand prevented him from doing so. At first he thought that his ring finger must have found a way to entangle itself with the thin cover sheets. After slightly moving it, however, he knew that this was not the case.

Tiredly, he opened his eyes and turned himself sideways. His cocoon slightly loosened around his body and let the cold bedroom air enter it. This was something JaeBeom didn't like at all. Instantly, he pulled the sheets closer to himself again. He stopped in mid motion, when he suddenly felt a soft tug on his ring finger. It was so soft in fact, that at first he wondered it he imagined it but then his dazed mind remembered why he'd undid his oh so lovely and warm cocoon before. Quickly, he freed his left arm from the heavy layers around him to take a look at his hand. At first glance everything looked as it always has. The feeling of being tugged had disappeared too. Blaming his sleepy state of mind for this illusion, he turned around to lay flat on his stomach again. A few seconds later, however, he felt the same tug once again.

Lazily, he lifted his hand once more. It didn't surprise him to see no fabric or anything like that dangling there. His hand looked as it always had. It was slightly blistered from his work as a base playing music producer, however, those blisters had never caused him any problems, pain or weird sensations like this before. Why should they anyways?  
Other than that he had no scratches or weird sheet marks on his skin. Everything was as it always was... except that it wasn't.

The comforting warmth of his bearskin mercilessly crashed with the ice cold air around him which made him growl in displeasure. Quickly he wrapped the sheets around him once more to build a complacently new cocoon of warmth. A blissful sigh fled his trote once the sheets lay closely around him. The warmth started to lull him back in and his mind soon drifted towards the land of his dreams and imaginations. The red started so spread from every corner of his mind. It felt vibrant, soft and warm. It was home. It was...

Jaebeom instantly opened his eyes. His heart was pounding fast in his chest. Quickly, he pushed his hand out of the cocoon. He didn't feel a thug on it like before but somehow he knew that something was different than usual. Should he try to look at his hand with his gift? Would he see something then? It was impossible. He knew that all to well. Since he had been a little boy he had dreamt of being connected with someone; a soulmate. However, he soon had to learn that soulmate bonds do not just appear out of nowhere. Therefore, having his hopes up will not do him any favours.

For quite a while he simply stared at his hand, unsure of what he should do and what to expect. He desperately wanted to check if his assumption was correct but then... the fear of being disappointing lay too heavy in the air. He felt that if he hoped that he somehow had been connected to another person, that it'll only lead him to being hurt once more. The young Korean let out a silent curse and wanted to pull his cover even closer but just when he moved his hand to do so he felt it again. This time the tug was slightly stronger than before.

"What the…," JaeBeom started but then another strong tug stopped him from continuing. This was definitely not normal. JaeBeom sat up in a rush and took a better look at his hand. It definitely looked as normal as it always had. He lowered his hand to take a look around. He was somehow certain that this must be another one of those pranks Jackson somehow, despite not knowing the code to enter his flat, had to be pulling on him. However, before he could even lay his hand on the mattress next to him, he felt an even stronger tug than before. This was strange. More than strange even. He never experienced anything like this before.

His mind wandered to the meddling from the evening before and a sudden fear took over the young Koreans body. Was this an after effect from the meddling? He felt like this must be the case but he wasn't able to understand it's meaning. Was this some sort of punishment for messing with mother nature's original plan?

He felt another harsh tug on his finger. It was as if something was getting inpatient with him. Feverishly, he started to think what it could mean and then finally came to the conclusion that, despite his decision a few seconds ago, he had to have a look around by using his other sight. He needed to see the red string around him to solve this mystery.

His flat was basically string free. This was one of the reasons why he decided on living there in the first place. However, there is that one string that goes through one corner of his living room...

JaeBeom quickly got out of bed and rushed towards his living room. His heart was pounding widely in his chest. When he reached the door frame for the living room he stood rooted to the spot. Nervously, he looked around and took a deep breath. Then he changed his view.

Warm, wonderful relieve filled him when he saw that the usual string that went through his living room was unharmed and unmoved. Everything was okay. Exhausted by all the stress and worry so early in the morning he leaned against the door frame, closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Everything was well.

He felt another tug on his hand. Instinctively, he let his eyes wander to it. What he saw there made him caught his breath. There, on his left hand ring finger, was a red string. The string had been neatly tied around his finger. It was the same bounding he had seen so many times before. It was a soulmate bound.  
JaeBeom swallowed hard before he lifted his hand again to have a closer look at the string. He was hesitant to touch it but when his right hand got closer to the string it moved towards him and twirled itself loosely around his wrist and fingers. It almost felt like the string was affectionately nestling him. It's touch was warm and comforting which made JaeBeom sigh blissfully. He was connected. He was given a soulmate. A soft smile caressed his lips by the thought that his deepest and most secret wish started to take form and became reality.

His eyes followed the string to a point where it disappeared through a wall. As if the string knew what he had been looking at it softly tugged on him once more. It wanted him to move. It wanted him to meet the person on the other end. Without much hesitation JaeBeom began to move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been roughly six hours since JaeBeom had started his quest to find his Soulmate. In fear to move in the wrong direction when he took a bus or a subway, as well as coming off as a weird person who chased a taxi driver throughout the whole city, he decided to embark his search on foot. Luckily the weather was on his side as the sun was giving anything to make this spring day as warm and wonderful as possible. Even the sky looked clear and the yellow dust warning wasn't as high as it usually was in this time of the year. It wasn't warm enough for the spring flowers to bloom though, but he was sure that soon they will share their beauty with the world as well.

He soon realised that the string was leading him up north and with that further and further away from his flat in Apgujeong. To his utter surprise he was neither exhausted nor did his energy start to fade on his whole way so far. In fact he only stopped twice to get his favourite strawberry milk, a roll of Kimbap and some water. Despite his rather average knowledge of the northern part of Seoul he soon noticed that the string was leading him towards Hongdae. One of the student areas of Seoul. Could his soulmate be a student? It was possible.

When he reached Hongdae, however, the string lead him further away from the crows of people that gathered around the local performers of the area and soon found himself close to the Gyeongui Line Forest. He has heard that over the past years the part that's closer to Hongdae had been redesigned and is now known as Gyeongi Line Book Street. JaeBeom had always wanted to go there but his busy schedule has prevented him from doing so. A soft smile caressed his face when his eyes fell on all the small book stores that were put next to the path of the park. The stores weren't big and all of them were labelled with genres so that possible buyers had an easier time to find a book they liked. The park like area was filled with people who admired the beauty of nature but also strolled along the path to occasionally stop at a store to look at all the wonderful books. It was quiet. The heavy traffic could barely be heard in this area, which was something that felt strange and unusual to JaeBeom.

Slowly he followed the path that lead to Gyeongi Line Forest, a place where many Korean dramas are filmed due to its beauty. He was tempted to stop at almost every bookshop to pick up a new book (or maybe two) but he constantly reminded himself that he was on a mission and that he shouldn't get distracted. And like this he soon reached the edge of the Book Street. JaeBeom almost expected the string to lead him further down the path to Gyeongi Line Forest but instead it made a sharp right turn and lead him upwards. The neighbourhood he found himself in a few minutes later was quiet and clean. He was sure that this neighbourhood had a bit more money to maintain it like this. People were walking along the street and checked out the multiple stores that put their goods at display. Various smells of food and hot drinks filled the air.

JaeBeom followed the string further into the neighbourhood. After a few steps, however, he noticed that the string directly lead him to one of the shops with a big display window. He let his eyes wander around to see if the string might lead him further from that point onward but it really seemed to stop there. With hesitant steps he walked closer towards that shop. His hands began to sweat. He was nervous. Thousand questions were running through his head and even more scenarios were building itself up in his imagination.

After a few more steps he noticed that the shop he's approaching belongs to a pet shop. Multiple kittens and small dogs were placed in cubical boxes in hopes to find them a new loving owner. This was actually perfect. He could pretend to have a look at the animals in the window and steal glances inside to see if he can spot his soulmate. That way it might look less... weird when he walks into the shop.

With that thought in mind JaeBeom walked in front of the display window to watched a litter of very young and cute kitten play with each other in a very clumsy fashion. He smiled softly. Cats have always been his weak point. His family owns a very affectionate but sassy cat called Nora. She was his little baby but sadly he hasn't been able to take her with him when he decided to leave his parents home and his university to start his own record studio. He misses Nora and he instantly made a mental note to himself that he should go home to visit his parents anytime soon.

JeaBeom had been so distracted by the cute cats that he almost forgot why he was in that neighbourhood. Only when the string began to tug him again he started to remember. Shyly, he let his eyes wander on the inside of the store. There were multiple more cages that held the cutest sets of animals. However, an employee was nowhere to be found. Afraid that he might have arrived after they closed, JaeBeom turned his head towards the door to check the opening hours. A quick glance at his watch told him, that the store was still open and in fact would still be open in a couple of hours.

Hesitantly, he walked towards the door. He pushed the handle down and opened to. A soft bell sound echoed through the room which made all the dogs inside bark loudly at him. Some of them started to get on their hind legs while putting their front legs on the cubical wall to bark at him.  
With wide eyes JaeBeom starred inside and suddenly wasn't sure what he should do next. He suddenly realised that he never planned further than finding his soulmate. He didn't think of even the slightest excuse he could give to suddenly appear in this persons live. With that sudden realisation he turned around again to leave but stopped instantly when he heard the soft and cheerful voice of young man.

"Welcome. Please don't let the little ones scare you. They are usually very well behaved. How can I help you"

JaeBeom turned around and was suddenly facing a young looking man who was smiling very brightly. The young man was slightly shorter than JaeBeom and he looked younger than him as well. Not that much younger but still younger. He had soft facial features and even without knowing the young man he instinctively knew that he had a bright and cheerful personality. Maybe even a bit innocent and naive. He was cute. Very cute in fact. He was one of those people one just had to fall in love with.

When JaeBeom lowered his eyes slightly he saw that the string was glowing warmly and began to dance around the man in front of him. They were connected by it. It was like it was telling him with this that this was him. This was JaeBeom's soulmate.

JaeBeom's heart began to beat wildly in his chest. He noticed that the man's lips were moving and he knew that he was talking.The question asked reached JaeBeom but somehow his brain must have forgotten how languages works as he was only able to stammer incoherent things which caused the younger to frown in confusion. Not long, however, and JaeBeom caught himself again. With a fake cough he tried to redeem himself. However, as he still had no clue what he should say he wasn’t able to form a proper phrase.

Instinctively, he turned his head aside towards the kittens he had been watching before he entered. To his utter surprise he noticed that the string started to move towards the box of kittens as well and circles around two of them. It was a slightly bigger black cat and a small white one. He knew what the string wanted him to do. Still, he hesitated to follow it's suggestion. He could adopt two kittens. That's actually something he would like very much... but then won't they be alone too many times? With his job it's not possible to have a clear schedule. However, he would love to have a pair of cats in his life.

Hesitantly, he gave the young man a smile and asked: "Can I have a look at two cat's in the window please?"

The man smiled brightly and guided JaeBeom towards the kittens. He asked JaeBeom to point out which kittens he wanted to have a closer look at, to which JaeBeom shyly pointed at the black and white cat the string has chosen for him.

"Such a lovely pair. They are only a few weeks old and still learn how to walk. They look very clumsy while doing so which makes them incredibly cute. Do you want to hold them?"  
JaeBeom looked from the man to the kittens and back. Then he nodded softly.

With absolute carefulness took the man the black kitten out of the box. The kitten had been very quiet before, however, once it lost the ground under it's paws it started to scream loudly. It was heart wrenching. The man, however, continued and nestled it in his arms at first so the little one could came down a bit. He softly petted the little one and talked to it. It was such a sweet sight.

When the man wanted to give the kitten to JaeBeom it clung itself with its claws into the younger's shirt. Carefully he loosened its grip and laid it into JaeBeom's arms. The poor thing was shaking to much. It was pitiful. Instantly, JaeBeom began to copy what he had seen the other man do before. Not before long and the little one had calmed down and started to crawl upwards to stand on JaeBeom's shoulder. He laughed when the young thing started to nestle it's head against his neck. During its whole hiking adventure, JaeBeom made sure that it wasn't possible for the kitten to fall and hurt itself. This instantly caught the other mans attention.

"You're good with cats. I think this one likes you. A match made in heaven I'd say. Do you have any experience with cats?"  
JaeBeom nodded and began to tell his soulmate about Nora. He told him more than he would have told any other stranger. Usually he was very reserved with information like that but somehow it felt right to tell all that to the other. A bright smile caressed the other mans lips while listening to JaeBeom's adventure with Nora.

"She must be a fine cat. I hope this one will bring you a lot of joy too. If you decide to take it that is"  
"I think... I do. I miss having cats around me. Do you have cats?" JaeBeom asked in hopes to learn more about his soulmate that way.  
"I have a dog. Coco is actually here but she must be sleeping somewhere right now. She is the cutest dog that ever walked on this earth. I swear!" the younger said with a bright smile on his face. He quickly excused himself and left for the counter to get a set of cat collars to show to JaeBome. The young Korean watched him leave and then focused on the lovely ball of fluff in his arm that nestled itself on his chest so he could pet it easier. Lovingly, he tickled it under it's chin which made the kitten rise it's head.  
"Well if she's as cute as her owner then we have an overload of cuteness," JaeBeom mumbled while happily petting the cute kitten which had started to purr quietly.

"You think I'm cute?"  
JaeBeom's stopped in mid motion and stared up at YoungJae with wide eyes.  
"I... well... yes... I mean... gosh I didn't meant for you to hear that," he stammered and felt how his face started to heat up. He could only imagine how bright red his cheeks were right now.

The man smiled shyly and then met JaeBeom's eyes: "You're cute too, you know. A very cute stranger that does well with animals," the man started to blush madly as well when he said that which he instantly tried to disguise by laughing loudly. A wide smile formed on JaeBeom's face. His soulmate though he was cute too. That was a very promising start. He smiled softly, bowed his head lightly and said: "I'm Lim JaeBeom. It's nice to meet you"

With a soft smile on his face bowed the other man his head as well.  
"I'm Choi YoungJae"


End file.
